Subsidie en prijzen / award
Subsidie en prijzen / award

NWO grant for research into next-generation brain-inspired computing

A consortium led by the University of Groningen has been awarded a grant of €9 million from the long-term programme of the NWO Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC), allocated to the project '10X-Factor(y): Towards a Dutch ecosystem for neuromorphic technologies'. Johan Mentink and Bernard van Gastel of Radboud University are among those forming part of the consortium. In total the project will manage a budget of 30 million euros.

10X-Factor(y) will establish a national ecosystem for neuromorphic technologies: an emerging field that designs novel types of computing systems, inspired by the information processing principles of the human brain. By bringing together leading research institutions, companies and applied universities, the initiative seeks to accelerate the development of next-generation computing systems that are orders of magnitude faster and more energy-efficient than current solutions.

Innovation chain

CogniGron at the University of Groningen will lead the consortium in collaboration with partners including TNO, TU Eindhoven, University of Twente, TU Delft, Radboud University, and Astron, and a range of high-tech companies including Infineon, Innatera, Snap inc, Synopsis, Batenburg Beenen, Sencure, IMChip, Oxford Instruments, and OPT/NET. Together, they will work across the full innovation chain, from advanced materials, devices and chip design to system integration and applications.

The program is designed around 7 demonstrators representing 7 use cases ranging from automation & robots, health monitoring & diagnostics to field sensors. Demonstrating advantage of neuromorphic computing systems for practical use cases, 10X-Factor(y) will contribute to realizing economic opportunities and hence a key part of the KI-LTP program concerns private investment.

RU Neuromorphic Computing Initiative

Through the RU Neuromorphic Computing Initiative, Radboud University plays a key role in this program with contributions from several research institutes, including IMM, ICIS and Donders. Moreover, supported by existing initiatives such as NL-ECO, Mission 10X, as well as the recently established NC-NL coalition  and national research programmes in AI, computing, photonics and semiconductors. The 10X-Factor(y) program builds on this foundation by integrating fragmented efforts into a coordinated, industry-driven ecosystem. With shared infrastructure, co-design platforms, and responsible innovation frameworks, the programme will establish the Netherlands as a global leader in sustainable, energy-efficient computing.

Contact information

For further information, please contact one of the researchers involved or team Science communication via +31 24 361 6000 or media [at] ru.nl (media[at]ru[dot]nl).   

Theme
Sustainability, Innovation, Artificial intelligence (AI), Molecules and materials